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The reactors at the Ignalina nuclear power plant were cooled by water from the nearby Druksiai Lake, so this body of water did not freeze even in the coldest winter.
The birds that live here did not even fly to the warmer lands during the winter.
The same was predicted for the Neris River: its water will be heated by the Astrava nuclear power plant in such a way that the river vegetation will change, the salmon will no longer spawn, and the water temperature will be suitable for crocodiles to live. .
The salmon arrived in autumn, the river freezes in winter. Is this water in Nery getting hot or not?
The situation is constantly monitored
Ramunė Marija Stasiūnaitienė, acting director of the Center for Radiation Protection, said that the cooling system of the Astravas Nuclear Power Plant is closed and the cooled water from the reactors does not return to the river. It only replenishes the part of the water that evaporates during cooling.
Therefore, no seasonal fluctuations in the water temperature of Neris have been identified.
RMStasiūnaitienė said that state radiological environmental monitoring of the Neris River has been carried out for many years. During this monitoring, water and sludge sediment samples are selected monthly. Radionuclides Cs-137, Sr-90 and the total activity of beta radionuclides are monitored and determined in them.
“None of the samples sampled after the commissioning of the Astrava nuclear power plant showed an increase, and the results are the same as before the commissioning of this power plant,” said RMStasiūnaitienė.
There is an automatic water metering station in Nery, near Buivydžiai. It provides data every 10 minutes and is monitored 24 hours a day.
If there were an increase in the gamma dose rate, this station would also show what radionuclides are in the water.
Pollution – in the event of an accident
In theory, contamination of the Neris would only be possible in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant.
The energy expert Jurgis Vilemas warns that in the event of an accident, Lithuania and Vilnius, which is located about 50 kilometers from the power plant, would suffer very serious consequences, because, according to J. Vilemas, even Japan is unable to cope with such accidents
He added that world practice shows that a serious accident occurs in one state or another in 20 years.
I want new wells
In mid-February, a meeting of the Seimas Energy and Sustainable Development Commission was held to discuss the contamination of Neris and Nemunas in the event of an accident at the Astrava nuclear power plant.
Water providers are particularly concerned. The Vilniaus Vandenys company asked the Ministry of the Environment to initiate hydrogeological studies and prepare a plan on how to guarantee a safe supply of drinking water to the population, which would finance the reconstruction of the networks.
In the event of an accident at the plant, the polluted water from the Neris could enter 11 wells. It is true that five of them are unused.
Vilnius would also need wells to supply water from the Vokė or even Merkys river basins.
The president of the Lithuanian Water Providers Association, Bronius Miežutavičius, started talking about it 5 years ago, but no progress has been made in this area.
Perhaps the opinion of B.Miežutavičius has changed? Turns out not. “I do not change my mind, Vilnius needs to look for places to supply drinking water,” B. Miežutavičius told the capital a few days ago.
True, this time he said that Vilnius would need reserve wells not in the event of an accident at the power plant, but because of possible long-term contamination of Neris’ water with radionuclides.
